From lash-wiggling mascaras to skin-jiggling cleansing devices, there's a whole lot of shaking going on in the beauty world. But is all of this buzzing actually buzzworthy?

Confession: I've used five different vibrators today. I credit them with giving me a rosy glow and a spring in my step, among other beauty boons. Lest anyone begin to snicker, let me clarify: I don't mean that kind of vibrator. Since Clarisonic introduced its Skin Care Brush in 2005—a whirring, battery-operated face-scrubbing device based on the same technology as the Sonicare toothbrush—vibration has been revving up everything from mascara wands to foundation applicators to wrinkle-zapping gadgets. There's little question that these devices are fun to use—thanks to the inevitable ooh la la effect—but are they really doing anything that their nonmotorized counterparts can't?

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As zany as it sounds, there's some serious science behind the notion that vibration that can benefit the human body. In the 1960s, Russian cosmonauts discovered that doing resistance exercises while standing on an oscillating plate significantly counteracted the physical deterioration they experienced in space, and subsequent studies suggest that vibration training, which causes muscles to contract 30 to 50 times per second as opposed to the one to two in normal strength training, could be a miracle worker on the anti-aging front. "The contractions increase circulation, bringing oxygen and nutrients to tissue and bone throughout the body," says exercise physiologist Geralyn Coopersmith, senior national manager of Equinox Fitness Training Institute. Subjecting the body to frequencies of up to 50 hertz has been proven to build bone density over time, and even a 30-minute vibrationassisted workout can boost the body's production of human growth hormone—a chemical that augments muscle and reduces fat but peters out with age—by up to 350 percent.

After trying out a Power Plate (Madonna and Cher's jiggling apparatus of choice) at New York City's Station Fitness club, I can attest to the rejuvenating potential of good vibes: I feel supercharged for hours, as though I've eaten the magic cherries in a video game. But while working out on an Olympic-athlete endorsed oscillating platform is one thing, applying makeup with a motorized powder puff is another. Is it a stretch to imagine that vibration can do for the face what it does for the body?

The Makeup Shakeup
In cosmetics, the vogue for vibes was kicked off with the launch of Estée Lauder's TurboLash and Lancôme's Ôscillation mascaras in 2008 (Maybelline soon introduced its own version). And while the benefits of a battery-operated mascara wand appear to be fairly straightforward—the horizontal quivering motion of the bristles coats lashes both side to side and end to end for a flutter previously achievable only with falsies—it's possible that vibration might also play a role in enhanced lash growth.

When testing its Ôscillation Powerbooster lash primer, Lancôme found that the motorized applicator acted as a supercharger for the conditioning agents. Though European ads openly tout the product's fringe-growing power, "we're not a drug company, so we can't legally claim that it stimulates lash growth," says Gracemarie Papaleo, Lancôme's assistant vice president of new product development. "But ophthalmologists who examined lashes under a microscope noted a difference in the density of the lashes after one week, while 81 percent of women who used it noticed longer lashes after one month." They ran trials both with and without vibration, and found that results were most positive with vibration, "perhaps," Papaleo says, "because it helps coat the lashes with the nourishing ingredients more thoroughly."

The company's new Ôscillation Powerfoundation—essentially, a vibrating powder puff—may also offer collateral beauty bonuses. Though its chief task is to break down mineral makeup and disperse it evenly onto the face, "it also softly massages and buffs the skin," Papaleo says, "resulting in diminished fine lines and a dramatic refinement of texture over time." Lancôme's findings are based on a four-week study involving 50 women's self-assessments, but according to New York dermatologist Anne Chapas, MD, it's unlikely that a souped-up powder puff alone could significantly reverse the ravages of time. "Vibration will enhance circulation and get blood flowing to the dermis," she says. "This can give a rejuvenated appearance—but it's temporary."

Youth Quake
Are the potential revitalizing effects of vibration only skin deep? Not necessarily. "Anything that warms up the skin and gets the blood closer to the surface will enable molecules in serums and moisturizers to penetrate more efficiently," Chapas says. So while the circulation boost it provides is fleeting, vibration can contribute to long-term anti-aging by preparing the skin to absorb topically applied lotions and potions.

When it comes to cleansing, vibration constitutes a quantifiable step up from the old soap-and-washcloth routine. In lieu of straightforward (and potentially irritating) exfoliation, battery-operated wonders such as the aforementioned Clarisonic Skin Care Brush (at $195, the Nimbus 2000 of grime-fighting gadgets) and the Neutrogena Wave (a more affordable $15) purge pores in an altogether new way: by rattling the gunk out of them. The Clarisonic's oscillating bristles wiggle the skin at a rate of 300 tiny movements per second, gently ousting dirt and debris as you glide it across your face. "This moves the skin enough to dislodge dirt," says immunologist Robb Akridge, PhD, one of the device's creators, "but not enough to pull or tug at it, which causes irritation." In this ultraclean state, skin is primed to receive whatever follows: A Clarisonic study has shown 61 percent better absorption of topical vitamin C post-use.

Is this enough to justify claims that using a quivering skin-cleansing gadget will reduce wrinkles and improve texture? "There are no studies available that demonstrate exactly how it could do these things on a cellular level," says New York dermatologist Francesca Fusco, MD. "But that doesn't mean that it doesn't work. My hypothesis is that there must be stimulation of fibroblasts—the precursors to collagen—that account for the long-term benefits I have heard patients report when they rave about the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles."

Clarisonic's newest offering, the Opal, is a lozenge-shape serum-delivery device that puts a twenty-first century spin on the age-old tapping-eye-cream-on-withyour-finger idea: You fill its soft, concave applicator tip with a proprietary "sea serum" (containing marine-derived glycosaminoglycans—proteins that play a role in building strong connective tissue—as well as moisturizing ingredients and peptides) and use it to massage your crow's-feet. Clarisonic claims the gizmo pulses the product into the epidermis at the equivalent of 125 taps per second, with the sonic vibration driving it deeper than possible with mere manual application. "Your finger can't go over 25 taps a second unless you're the Bionic Woman," Akridge says. "Also, the tip on the Opal hits the skin with an arcing movement, nudging the skin out and within a split second pushing the serum in, like a squeegee. That gives instant hydration." To my delight, what I find after using it a few times is a significant shrinkage of the stubborn bags under my eyes. "Massage reduces fluid retention," Akridge says, "and although we haven't done a study on how much circulation is enhanced, I suspect that might be having an effect."

As vibration continues to invade more areas of beautification, much remains to be learned about how, exactly, it works. But whether its purpose is to add functionality to an old-school tool like a mascara wand or to act as a viable new weapon in the battle against the crinkles and sags of age, it's clearly no mere gimmick. I've found that after only a few weeks of applying all manner of humming gadgets to my face, my skin looks clearer—vibrant, even. So if you catch me pressing my mobile phone to my forehead or doing leg lifts on my washing machine, don't be surprised. I can't say for certain that vibration is going to keep me young-looking and sprightly—I'm just searching for the little engine that could.